Seven Artifacts
by KaitaKembi
Summary: Uzani, a demon who lives in Yomi's territory, has stolen seven magical artifacts from the spririt detectives. Now, they have to go through her, her cousin, and many others to get them back. (includes origional caracter:Kaita Kembi)
1. Uzani

Uzina, the beautiful, red haired, female youko, smiled as she saw that one of the vines that she had connected to her small hut had been tugged. She was somewhat like a spider, waiting for hapless victims to fall into her web. It wasn't often that they did, but Uzina always took advantage of the opportunities, and her victims' possessions always seemed to fit her needs. She stepped outside and squinted against the hot afternoon sun.  
  
"Which of my darling vines so kindly made me aware of a guest?" she asked, tickling each of her vines in turn. The fifth vine giggled and shook itself, telling Uzina that her "guest" was in the trap connected to that vine, "Oh this is so perfect. Whoever this person is, they are caught in my favorite trap. Heheh! This will be so fun!"  
  
Uzina traced her way down the vine with her perfectly manicured index finger. At the end of the vine, she could not believe her eyes. Caught in a quilted cage of vines and flowers stood another youko, only this one was a male.  
  
"Who are you?" he demanded. His voice was deep, making it clear that he was mature, but not too much so. About 300 or 400 years old. He was tall with silver hair and bright golden eyes, a thief's eyes. Uzina's own forest-green eyes sparkled with interest.   
  
'So he's a thief too,' she though, 'This should be interesting.'  
  
"Well," the male youko said expectantly, "You haven't answered my question."  
  
Uzina circled the vine cage, studying her prize. She ignored the male youko's expectant questions, thinking to herself. 'What a youko! Tall and lanky with long legs... Hehe it should be fun to talk to him.' She finally looked up at the youko.  
  
"What's your name?" she asked him.  
  
"How is that any business of yours?" the youko demanded. Uzina sighed as if she was facing an overly stubborn child.   
  
Mentally, she called a tree to lower one of its branches so she could sit. She ran her hand down the branch, causing moss to grow all over it so she would be more comfortable. Then she sat.  
  
"I can see that you're going to be difficult," Uzina said, lacing her fingers together and resting her chin in her palms, "But I've dealt with other men like you. Granted, they've never been youkos, but then again I never thought a youko would be stupid enough to fall for any one of my traps." The youko bristled at Uzina's insult. She chuckled, seeing that her last remark had gotten to her prey.  
  
"So what do they call you anyway?" she asked again, making her branch draw closer to the silver hair demon. The youko made an attempt to sit on the ground, but Uzina ordered her vines to wrap around his neck and hands, preventing him from any movement greater than talking, "I'll ask you one more time. What is your name?"  
  
The youko refused to answer, so Uzina made the vine around his neck tighten, choking him slightly. Then she noticed a little tan sack lying at the youko's feet. She quickly ordered her vines to snatch it up and give it to her. Opening the bag, Uzina say something that made her eyes sparkle mischievously. Inside were seven highly prized artifacts from King Enma's most guarded vault.  
  
"Oh you are a bad little thief, aren't you?" Uzina chuckled and took out the artifacts one by one, placing them in her own traveling sack. Then she threw down the youko's pack.  
  
Suddenly, Uzina noticed that the youko seemed to be changing. His silver hair was going a bright read, and his glinting golden eyes were slowly ebbing to an emerald green. He was becoming smaller too, almost to the size of a young teenager. Uzina told her vines to fix accordingly, so the youko, who now looked more human, wouldn't slip out of their grasp.  
  
"Kurama!" a gruff, but high-pitched voice called, "Kurama where are you? There's no sense in playin' around. Come on where are you?"  
  
Uzina's vines covered the youko's, who she presumed to be called Kurama, mouth so that he could not yell back and warn his friends. 


	2. Trouble For The Team

"Kurama come on! Where are you?" Kuwabara called before he was whacked by a vine the Hei had just pushed away, "Damn this forest!" he swiped at the vine with his spirit sword.  
  
"Sh!" Hiei warned, "Something's happened to Kurama. Otherwise he would have come back, or at least call to tell us he's ok. We should keep our guard up."  
  
"I wouldn't be surprised, considering this forest. But what could take Kurama? Surely nothing but an S-class," said the only girl in the group, Kaita, her brow nitted with frustration. She was Kurama's partner whom the four spirit detectives had met in a mission right after the Dark Tournament. She cared little about all the spirit detectives; even Kurama, to whom she was closest.   
  
Her tan skin and dark purple-blue hair made her appear human, until she took her demon form. Then great auburn-brown wings sprouted from her back and she resembled a harpy.   
  
"I'll bet he's fine," shrugged Yuusuke, "Kurama's lived longer than any of us. He can take care of himself."  
  
"Hn," Kaita responded, sounding a lot like Hiei.  
  
Kuwabara moved a little ahead of the group and over to a tall bush. He looked through it "Uh guys," he said.  
  
"What is it now?" Hei asked testily.  
  
"I think you guys should come see this," Kuwabara said, beckoning, but not turning from the sight he was looking at. The three other fighters ran to his side to see what he was so shocked about.  
  
Kaita hissed and began to move forward, but Yuusuke clapped a hand over her mouth before she could say anything further. Before them was Kurama, who was back in his human form, tied up by vines in a cage made of vines and flowers. Sitting not three feet away from the cage, staring at Kurama as though he nothing more than an animal in a zoo, was a beautiful, redheaded female youko. She was smiling evilly.  
  
"You silly fox," she was saying, "I should have known that a full youko would never walk into one of my traps. But now that I know that you're part human, it explains the whole thing. Oh and thank you for the artifacts. They'll be very helpful in making money." Then, to Kaita's absolute horror and disgust, the female youko entered the cage and placed a kiss on Kurama's cheek. Kaita took her harpy form, broke away from Yuusuke's grip and ran at the female youko.  
  
"You bitch" she screeched, "How dare you touch one of my teammates!" She swung at the youko with her claws. The youko dodged nimbly aside and a branch slammed into the side of Kaita's head, temporarily stunning her.  
  
Now that their cover had been broken, the other spirit detective's didn't think twice about rushing into the clearing to help Kaita battle the youko.  
  
Seeing that she was outnumbered, Uzina flipped backward onto a branch, which stretched to help her land safely.  
  
"Pleasant talking with you," She said and winked at Kurama, "But I do hate fighting against more than one person. Thank you for the presents, that was very kind. Fire vine wall!" she shouted and a wall of pure fire vines wove their up unto the air, blocking her from view.  
  
"Hey! Get back here!" Yuusuke said and ran up to the wall.  
  
"Forget it, Yuusuke," Hiei said and ran over to the cage where Kurama was being held, "We've got to free Kurama."  
  
Hiei and Yuusuke tried to break open the cage, but failed miserably.  
  
"Here, let me try," Kuwabara said and sliced through the cage. The vines that held Kurama instinctively let go. Kurama nearly fell, but caught himself just in time.  
  
"Kurama, who was that?" Kaita asked and crossed her arms.  
  
"I don't know," Kurama said and rubbed his wrists and neck where the vines had been, "But I don't think she's pure youko. She must be some type of other demon as well."  
  
"I think I know what she is," Hei said. He was inspecting the wall of pure fire vines that were slowly cooling off, "There is only one other person who I've seen that can make a wall of fire vines. She was a demon who was part fire demon, part earth demon. When I met her, she had a youko lover. This must be their daughter."  
  
"Part fire demon, part earth demon, and part youko?" Kuwabara said with a note of concern, "Man that's one powerful demon.  
  
"Actually I don't think she's very strong, probably only a high B-class" Kurama said.  
  
"Kurama's right," Hiei said, "I didn't sense much ki power from her. I think she's all hot air."  
  
"Well I'm pleased to see the youkai has an answer that could fit, but its flawed," sniffed Kaita, "That demoness could just be hiding her power so that we would underestimate her."  
  
"So what?" Yuusuke asked, "Why do we even care about her? We gotta get the artifacts back to Kuenma."  
  
"You really don't have good observation, do you," Kaita chuckled. Yuusuke glared at her.  
  
"The artifacts were stolen by her," Kurama said.  
  
"We've gotta get them back," Yuusuke said and ran off through the vine wall, which had stopped burning only a minute before.  
  
"Wait! Urimashi!" Kuwabara yelled, "There's more bad stuff out there. I can sense it!"  
  
Yuusuke didn't turn back.  
  
"Grrrrr! That fool's gonna get himself killed," Hiei growled.  
  
"Well come on then," Kaita said and leapt up, cat-like, onto the vine wall, "If we just let Yuskay get that thief, he'll never let us forget it. And we'll get the ol' incompetence speech from Kuenma!"  
  
Spurred on by her words, the rest of the spirit detectives took off.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Uzina, knowing she was probably going to be followed, quickly made her way through the forest and back to her house.   
  
"Was there good hunting, Ms. Uzina?" her water demon servant asked as she hand him her pack.  
  
"Very good hunting, Togoru," Uzina chuckled to herself, "Can you believe that a youko would wander into one of my traps? And the man wasn't just a youko, he was also a spirit detective!" Uzina laughed evilly at the thought. Toguro's widened.  
  
"A youko? Are you sure?" he asked in panic.  
  
"Of course I'm sure," Uzina said, her laughter stopping immediately and, her eyes flashed as she look at her hapless servant, "He had ears and a tail just as I do."  
  
"Forgive me ma'am," Togoru looked at the floor, afraid to look the youko female in the eye, "I did not mean to imply that you we're wrong. It's simply...a youko. They're supposed to be very strong. I'm of course referring to you, but I don't want to fight. I'm not very strong and could never compare to a youko."  
  
Uzina smiled at the young water demon, "Don't worry, Togoru. I don't want to fight him either."  
  
"Well then who will fight him?" Togoru asked in wonder.  
  
Uzina thought for a second, then her eyes gleamed evilly, "Hand me my daisy phone, Togoru," she said, still in thought, "I think this is a job for my older cousin, Kaido."  
  
"Ah! Excellent choice," Togoru said as he set down the pack and picked up the phone.  
  
Uzina knelt on her bed as Togoru handed her the phone. She dialed the number and spoke to the water demon as the phone rang, "Braid my hair while I'm talking to Kaido. I would hate to look like I do now when my big businessman cousin walks through the door.  
  
Togoru sat cross-legged on the bed and pulled his mistresses hair back as she started to talk.  
  
"Hello? Oh Helph! Good to speak to you again. Yes, this is Uzina. No I don't want to gossip. I need to speak to Kaido. Yes it is urgent you silly girl! No, I don't need you. I need Kaido. Just hurry and get him!" she sighed in exasperation as Kaido's wife, Helph hurried off to find her husband, "That annoying witch," Uzina said to Togoru, "I can't believe Kaido ever married her. She is so stupid. Oh! No, Kaido, I wasn't referring to Helph," Uzina continued her conversation with her youko cousin, explaining what she needed. 


	3. Fighting the Cousins

(3 hours later)  
  
Uzina sat at the table, playing the card game, war, with Togoru, when Kaido walked in the door.  
  
"Where are the people you wanted me to fight?" he growled as his ears twitched irritably and his tail swished through the air.  
  
"Patience, Kaido, "Uzina said, not even looking at him, "I have them trapped in a glade near here," she lifted a mirror that showed the scene of the four of the five spirit detectives sitting in a clearing, talking. The fifth one, the young fire demon, was jumping around with incredible speed, trying to burn down the forest, to no avail.  
  
"Hn," Kaido chuckled, "These are the five you want me to fight? Pathetic! They're only children, fifteen at the oldest."  
  
"Don't underestimate them, Kaido," Uzina warned as she stood to go outside, "Their ki is very strong, and they're some of Kuenma's best fighters. I wouldn't have summoned you if they weren't a challenge."  
  
Togoru rose to and followed Uzina outside. He had never liked Kaido, who always treated him badly when Uzina's back was turned. Kaido aimed a kick at Togoru, but stopped when Uzina turned to her servant.  
  
"Come, Togoru," Uzina said, "We must deliver the artifacts to Yomi. Quickly, go get my pack."  
  
Togoru hurried to her bedside, but was tripped as Kaido stuck out his foot.  
  
"Kaido!" Uzina snapped; she had seen it happen, "Don't you dare hurt Togoru! He's my servant, not yours."  
  
Kaido grumbled, but made no other remarks. They walked outside, where Uzina shouldered her pack.  
  
"Kaido," she said, "I have no money to pay you with, but, if you succeed in beating those detectives, I will give you a fraction of the money I earn from this deal."  
  
With that, she and Togoru ran off at an easy pace to the opposite side of the forest. Kaido watched them go with his arms crossed and a smug expression on his face.  
  
'If I beat them,' he thought to himself, 'Hmph! Who does she think she's talking to? They may be strong, but I've never lost a fight. They'll get the beating of their lives.'  
  
Just as he was thinking this, he felt five kies coming through the forest to him. Uzina had freed them from the glade as soon as she and Togoru had been a mile away. Kaido looked at his new adversaries. One of them he recognized as the uptight fire demon that had been trying to burn the forest down. Two of them were human; one with almost orange hair, and the other had black. There was another human looking figure, but Kaido could tell by his ki that he was a youko. What surprised Kaido most was that there was a girl. She hung back behind the youko-human, making it seem that she wasn't a fighter. But in her eyes Kaido saw an angry fire burn in her bright orange eyes. Kaido couldn't tell what she was, but figured she was a demon.  
  
"Where're the artifacts?" the black-haired human asked.  
  
"If you are referring to the toys that my cousin took with her on her journey, then they are far away from here," Kaido said, taking pleasure in the shocked looks on all the teenagers faces, especially the youko's and the girl's, "But I highly doubt that that is your main concern. You see, my cousin kindly asked me to guard her house until she came back from her trip. I happily obliged, and will protect this house with my life."  
  
"Give us the artifacts," the fire demon growled and pulled out a sword. Simultaneously, the orange-haired human made a spirit sword and the girl took off running towards the house.  
  
Kaido bent down and picked up a good-sized rock. Swiftly, he chucked it at her head.  
  
"Kate look out!" the youko yelled, but it was too late. The rock connected to her skull with a sickening crack, causing her to fall to the ground, "Kaita!" the youko shouted and moved to the girl.  
  
Kaido pulled a knife out of his cloak and threw it near the girl's head. It landed three centimeters from her skull, slicing half of her bangs close to her face.  
  
Kaido crossed to the girl and tugged his knife out of the ground. Then he pulled the girl up on her feet by her shirt collar. She was starting to come back into consciousness, and groaned as he dragged her over to a tree and tied her up with a rope that he had brought.  
  
Turning back to the four boys, Kaido addressed them, "If any of you try anything, she will die.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Uzina and Togoru sprinted the short distance from her house to Yomi's castle. She was one of his many subjects, and one of his more faithful ones. She always gave him the things she stole from her victims. And in turn he gave her free leave to steal on his property.  
  
"Wow, his castle's big," Togoru said as he looked up at the battlements.  
  
"Yes it is," Uzina said and tugged his arm, "Come on, its not polite to stair."  
  
They hurried through the gates and up to the grand door. There they were stopped by the guards.  
  
"You cannot pass here," one of them said.  
  
"Well then," Uzina replied, "I suppose Yomi won't want these seven powerful and dangerous artifacts I snagged from a youko earlier today? Then I'll just leave." She turned around.   
  
The guards looked at each other. "Wait!" they called, "I'm sure he'll allow you to come through."  
  
Uzina smiled triumphantly at Togoru and marched smartly up the steps. The guards led them through a twisting set of passageways to Yomi's throne room.   
  
"What is your name Ms?" one of the guards asked.  
  
"Uzina," she said proudly and shook her head of long red hair, "This is my servant Togoru."  
  
The guard knocked on the throne room door.  
  
"Who's there?" called a muffled male voice.  
  
"Ms. Uzina and her servant Togoru, my lord," the guard called.  
  
The door burst open and there stood Yomi in all his splendor. Uzina bowed and everyone else followed suit, "My lord Yomi," she said with eyes downcast.  
  
Yomi extended one hand and cupped it around her chin, tilting her face upwards, "Uzina," he said simply. Then he turned and marched back into the room to sit on his throne. He beckoned Uzina and Togoru forward and then bade the guards shut the door. Then he said, "What have you brought for me this time my loyal supplier?"  
  
"Uzina took each of the items out of her pack. All of them were weapons of some shape or another that could do great harm if they fell into the wrong hands. Uzina, who had no wish to destroy any world or kingdom, was merely a middleman of sorts to those, like Yomi, who wanted them for more sinister things.  
  
"You have never disappointed me before and I'm pleased to say you haven't now.   
  
* * * * *  
  
Yuusuke was the first to attack Kaido.  
  
"Spirit gun!" he yelled and fired a blast of spirit energy at the pure youko. It connected with his shoulder, leaving the pure youko's right arm temporarily useless.  
  
"Why you!" Kaido said and tried to attack Yuusuke, but Hiei got behind him and struck him in the neck. Kurama, meanwhile, dashed forward, trying to get to Kaita so he could free her. But Kaido threw a seed that caused a man-eating plant to spring up between the human/youko and his girlfriend. Kurama tried to dodge the plant's many mouths, but couldn't  
  
"Yuusuke" Hiei, seeing that Kurama was in trouble, "You and Kuwabara take Kaido. Kurama and I will deal with this over grown weed and free Kaita." He darted off to help Kurama.  
  
But Kaido had a different idea. He threw three more seeds causing various species of man-eating plants to appear and challenge the spirit detectives.  
  
Kurama's plant had one large bright orange head with a mouth ringed with saliva-dripping teeth. Its leaves had suction cups on them so that it could hold its victims. The leaves were wide for swiping at pray and the tips had paralyzing vines them it to capture pray. It swiped at Kurama and them opened its mouth to grab him from the ground. Kurama leapt up onto the back of the neck of the plant trying to confuse it. The plant swung its head back, throwing Kurama from its neck and making him land on the ground hard on his side. The plant lifted up Kurama in its leaves and held him open over its mouth. Kurama looked over to his friends to see if they were having better luck.  
  
Hiei was dodging any attempt of his plant's lunges. He leapt back and made his plant slam into a tree. Then he sunk his sword deep into the plants stem. The plant roared and struggled, finally managing to throw Hiei to the ground. He caught himself from falling, but barely. The giant plant slammed a purple flower into Hiei, stunning him. Then the petals closed over the back of Hiei's body so that he couldn't move.  
  
Kaita, meanwhile, had come to. She chewed through the ropes that bound her to the tree, and then they broke away. She jumped up. Not saying anything, she crept behind Kaido and pulled out one of her throwing knives. She snuck closer and closer to him until she was finally able to put him in a strangle hold with her knife.  
  
"Unhand me you -" Kaido shouted, but Kaita silenced him by tightening her grip on his neck.  
  
"Shut up," she murmured, then she turned to the plants, "Look here," she yelled, "I have your little youko master all tied up. What would you do if my hand just happened to slip," she smiled, "And I accidentally slit his throat? What would you little plants do?"  
  
The plants dropped their victims and moved toward Kaita. The other spirit detectives took the chance to finish off the plants. Kaita grinned evilly at Kaido, "Well, now I guess we know that plants do have feelings. How about you just leave this little house and go back into the little hole you crawled from."  
  
"How about not," Kaido spun and slammed one of his fists into her stomach. Kaita gasped as she was thrown backwards into Kurama's waiting arms.  
  
"Thanks," she managed to say and smiled at the redhead.  
  
"No problem," Kurama's eyes sparkled as he helped her to stand then they both turned back to the youko in front of them.  
  
But before any of them could do anything, Uzina landed between the fighters.  
  
"Kaido," she snapped, "I see you failed to defeat these little spirit detectives. I thought I told you not to underestimate them!"  
  
"Five on one is hardly fare, little cousin," Kaido sneered.  
  
"Fare! FARE!" Uzina screeched, "I've seen you take on twenty high A-class demons and win. There is no way you can say that the odds aren't fair." With that, she stretched out her arm and directed a vine to wrap around Kuwabara's neck.  
  
"Guys!" he yelled in a strangled call as the vine pulled him backward away from his comrades.  
  
"Kuwabara!" Yuusuke yelled and ran after his friend, but was stopped in his tracks by another wall of unburnable vines. Kaita attempted to jump the wall, but one of the top vines reached out and slammed her down to the ground. Kurama caught her just before she hit.  
  
Kaita laughed shakily, "Looks like I just can't win today," she said and fainted.  
  
Kurama set her on the ground and got behind her so that her head could rest against his chest. Now only Yuusuke and Hiei could fight the strange youko cousins.  
  
* * * * * 


End file.
